r/Eugene • u/pataphor_ • 5d ago

Louisville -> Portland or Eugene? Moving

My wife and I (both 30, no plan to have kids) are planning to move to Oregon, and visited Portland for a couple weeks in December as a test run. Loved it even through all the rain.

We didn't get a chance to visit Eugene, but are considering it primarily for:

  • Access to natural sights, parks, hiking, etc.
  • Relatively cheaper than Portland
  • Smaller city, may be an easier adjustment going from KY to OR, having never made a cross-country move before.

Some info about us: - I'm a remote developer, so no need to worry about finding work. - My wife needs to see a healthcare specialist twice a year due to some genetic health issues, and regularly needs to fill some important prescriptions. I saw a comment where this can be a struggle in Eugene, and would be curious about others' experiences. - We plan to stay in an AirBNB for a week or 2 while we find somewhere to rent long-term. Eventually may look for a house, but for now looking to rent. - We love being around nature, and want to be able to garden. - I like to make electronic music (Ableton + Elektron gear). - We are a couple of nerds; we'd be more drawn to libraries/universities than we would bars, if that tells anything.

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38

u/ChebaButt 5d ago

If you plan to have kids, Eugene. If it’s just you two for the (foreseeable) future, then Portland is your place.

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u/pataphor_ 5d ago

Yup, no kids (✂️)

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u/Dank009 5d ago

From what you said I think either city would be a good fit but I'd try to have a spot lined up before you come out here. May take you longer than expected to find a spot.

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u/pataphor_ 5d ago

Our plan was to spend ~2 weeks in an AirBNB, maybe more if necessary so we can search for a place in person while we're there. I'm reluctant to sign a lease on somewhere I've never seen; do you think that's enough time to find something?

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u/No-Platypus6693 5d ago

Renting in either city can be very challenging . I would recommend you set up meetings to start looking at places before you even move. Just to get an idea of what is out there.

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u/pataphor_ 5d ago

Hmm, thats good to know. We're getting rid of 90% of our things, only keeping what will fit in our outback which we'll use to drive out there. In that case, we'll probably want to line up places to tour the day we arrive.

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u/Redditheist 5d ago

Does your wife work? I recently read a post where a couple could not find a place because the wife didn't work and each resident needed to make 2x the rent. People were commenting that is common. Blew my damned mind!

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u/pataphor_ 5d ago

Wow, that's crazy. She does work in person now, but I make more than enough to sustain us both (~140k) so the plan was to let her casually job search after we've moved if her job here doesn't let her go full remote. It would be a lot more challenging if we both needed to have jobs to rent...

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u/Redditheist 5d ago

Would her job possibly "confirm" she is fully remote, even if it's yet to be determined? Definitely check with some rental management companies. They're all terrible and hard to get info from, but it's a place to start and something you want to nail down (the info, not necessarily an apartment) before you make the jump to get here.

As you're willing to rent an apartment and don't have kids, it will be easier than renting a house. As far as gardening, there are several community gardens, but they might have waiting lists.

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u/EverSarah 4d ago

There’s a city law (since 2022 I think) that a landlord has to rent a place FCFS to the first person who meets their income and credit requirements (even if they’re a total asshole in person). I think that’s why requirements have gotten really high. The older I get, the more I see the unintended consequences of well-intentioned liberal laws.

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u/Redditheist 4d ago

That's insane. I rented a place in Florence where the landlord was whining about how tough the world is on him (he owns several rental properties). It cost us $6k and excellent credit to move in.

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u/Wild-Interview-2391 5d ago

I don't think that is sufficient time to find a place outside of an apartment. When I moved back here I gave myself two months (granted, I was buying) and that was barely enough time. The housing market for buying and rentals moves very fast.

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u/EnthusiasmBroad5496 5d ago

We moved to a townhouse in West Eugene, and found we really only wanted to live in the areas of South Eugene High or Sheldon High. Took us a few months to find a house we wanted, but the market is probably different now, might be easier.

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u/smileyriley328 4d ago

I moved from Portland to Eugene just two years ago and I’d say you need more time of moving to portland, like maybe 4-5 weeks depending. Eugene just a few weeks would be okay but the housing options are more limited so you need time for things to cycle and fresh listings. Otherwise there can be like, 4 options.

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u/Dank009 3d ago

I wouldn't sign anything without seeing it either but I'd do as much research as you can prior to coming out and have several options lined up. Based on your income you are probably ok, you can probably at least find something tolerable while you look for something better. And if it takes a bit longer you can afford a few more days in an Airbnb.

Good luck, hope the move goes smoothly for you.